on this saturday night, states of emergency. deadly storms leave millions powerless as a record-breaking heatwave sweeps aacross the country, and out west those massive wildfires continue to burn out of control. chimp attack. an american student fighting for his life after being mauled and dragged half a mile at jane goodall's world famous sanctuary. a fresh idea under the stars. a new night scene gaining popularity in cities across america. crown jewels. a rare look at queen's spectacular collection, the actual diamond in the diamond jubilee. this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, substituting

tonight is kate snow. good evening. stifling, oppressive, unbearable, pick your adjective. more than a third of the country is under a heat advisory or warning, and tonight virginia, west virginia, and ohio as well as the nation's capital are under states of emergency after a freak storm swept through the region. at least 13 people have died as a result of that storm. more than 3 million homes are in the dark and without air-conditioning amid sweltering temperatures. this week alone more than 1600 heat records have been shattered. in the meantime out west those massive wildfires continue to burn out of control. we've got all of it covered tonight, and we begin with nbc's mike va khaira in washington. good evening. >> reporter: kate f-that wasn't enough, this heat is expected to last well into next week in this region as well as the midwest and the south. the local utility company is making robocalls this afternoon

telling residents they may not have power until late next week. it could be a week before the power comes back on, kate. the violent storms struck just before midnight. by morning its power and devastation were clear. homes and cars destroyed, power lines downed, millions in the washington, d.c. region without power. >> the word that comes to mind is horrific. >> reporter: triggered by record heat, the storms moved from illinois to the mid-atlantic in a phenomenon the experts call a wind storm with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms packing winds as high as 91 miles per hour, well above hurricane force, leaving a wide swath of destruction. crews worked throughout the day to restore power as homeowners banlded together to clean up debris and assess the damage. in virginia he called it the largest non-hurricane power outage in the state history. >> 2.5 million people without

power. that's almost in the ballpark of the last hurricane that we had. >> reporter: in fairfax county 911 services were knocked out and residents had to report emergencies in person at police and fire stations. in maryland residents were asked not to lose water after treatment centers went offline overnight. in bethesda a pga tour event hosted by tiger woods turned away spectators due to concerns on over fallen and weakened trees. popular websites netflix, pent grist were down. no power means no air-conditioning in record setting heat. cooling centers were opened and the heat shows no signs of letting up. temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees in parts of 25 states today after hitting triple-digits across much of the nation yesterday, including a statewide record in south carolina of 113 degrees. >> like an oven. just brutal. >> reporter: in atlanta today, organizers at a youth football camp were taking no chances. for every ten minutes of play --

>> we have a five minute water break. >> reporter: a five-minute water break and the city opened the pool to the public free of charge. >> we know that the temperatures were getting this high this weekend, we couldn't wait to get to the pool. >> reporter: and kate, p if all that weren't enough, this heat is expected to last well into next week, and the local utility this afternoon is making robocalls to residents who don't have power warning them it could be a full week before the lights come back on. kate. >> mike in washington. how long does the heatwave last? for more we turn to mike seidel in washington, d.c. what's the holiday week look like? >> it's hot but not quite as hot because today was another scorcher. nearly 50 million americans melted in triple-digit heat. how about atlanta living up to the name of hotlanta today. an all-time high of 106 degrees. it should be that hot today in phoenix. following the 109 in nashville,

they cooled off to 106. st. louis so far is 105, the third triple-digit day in a row. this air mass is dry so we don't get the 110, 115 heat indices that are killers. sunday, more of the same. 100 degrees in 23 states, and although these highs are two to three degrees cooler across the board, we're talking about records and temperatures 15 degrees warmer than average for july 1st. there's your fourth forecast. the core, this big dome of high pressure shifts to the middle of the country. that's where you have 100-degree temperatures. back east a cooler forecast with highs in the 80s and 90s and a chance of thunderstorms for the 4th. kate. >> you know it's bad when the 90s sound good. mike, thanks so much. in colorado tonight crews are finally starting to make progress against the most destructive wildfire in colorado history. wildfires continue to pop up elsewhere, and the resources to fight them are stretched thin.

nbc's mig quell ammaguer joins us from colorado springs. good evening. >> reporter: it was a week ago today when this fire bloroke ou. resources are coming in from across the country. on the edge of the burn zone -- >> that's affirmative. it's near the road. >> reporter: hotshot crews mop up the outer edge. here in colorado, 1300 firefighters are on the ground. today from california more resources on the way. a heavy air tanker dispatched to a firefight that could once again blow out of control. >> there's a possibility of dry thunderstorms, and that creates erratic winds up to 30, 40 miles per hour. it can push the fire in any direction at any time. >> reporter: while the fight for

containment in colorado continues, in neighboring utah six wildfires threaten hundreds of homes and have resources stretched thin. crews called for an additional 200 firefighters. only 20 were sent. >> we never have all the resources in all the right places at all the right times. >> reporter: back in colorado springs where nearly 350 homes are destroyed, today an emergency resource center opened for families with nowhere to turn. rebecca and byron lost their home tuesday on their daughter emma's first birthday. >> you're fine for a little while, and then you have another breakdown because you remember something else. >> reporter: with 10,000 still evacuated and some shelters near capacity -- >> he's my baby. he's my best friend. smoky. >> reporter: tonight volunteers are taking on hundreds of family pets, a mobile shelter and hospital for four-legged evacuees.

>> they seem to take real good care of them. >> reporter: this week the hinshaw family lost their home, but tonight little lindsay still has her best friend blueford. tonight as 346 families try to rebuild their lives, tomorrow they get the "1st look" at their neighborhoods when they're excourted in by firefighters. the good news is this fire is now 45% contained. >> that is good news. miguel in colorado springs. thanks so much. last night's death toll, two people killed, seven wounded. we're not talking about a war overseas. we're talking about shootings overnight in chicago. chicago's homicide rate is soaring, even as rates are dropping across the country. chicagoans are understandably outraged, and now police there are changing tactics in an effort to stop the killings. ron mott has our report. >> reporter: another shooting, another vigil in chicago. protesting the death of a

7-year-old girl named heaven struck in the back wednesday night by a stray bullet while selling candy, prompting outrage from the city's mayor. >> take your gang conflict away from a 7-year-old. who raised you? >> reporter: the murder count this year? 254, a 37% increase over last year, leaving a steady stream of crime scene tape and familying in mourning. >> we have a method to reduce crime that's not going to happen overnight. >> reporter: the surge in homicides here is all the more alarming because in the nation's biggest or notoriously violent cities, murders are down. chicago and philadelphia notable exceptions. this funeral director who once ran chicago's jails says many young people don't expect a full life. >> in their minds they're planning their funerals. planning to see how many will come, what type of eulogy will it be? who will speak on their behalf? that's in their mindset now rather than their future.

>> reporter: chicago police have called in backup. the city just received a $3 million federal grant to hire veterans as officers and next month will launch a partnership with an organization that mediates conflicts on the streets in hopes of winning back some of the peace. >> spread the message to save a life. >> reporter: cease-fire illinois literally gets in the middle of the disputes. >> come on, and walk with me, man. >> reporter: like the one that erupted while we called so-called violence interrupters. >> we have 130 staff on the streets right now in chicago. the cease-fire's role is to stop a guy from drosing the line so nobody goes to the pent stli or cemetery. when a guy crosses the line, the police get involved. >> reporter: going beyond the badge to end the deadly onslaught. ron mott, nbc news, chicago. overseas tonight egypt officially has a new president, mohammed morsi sworn in. in his speech he offered a

message of reassurance to israel saying his administration will honor international treaties and he pledged support for the rights of palestinians. in geneva today a conference of world leaders septembered a peace plan for syria, though they did not say whether syrian president assad could be part of a transitional government. secretary of state hillary clinton said the agreement paves the way for a post-assad government. russia refused to bake provision. there's word from israel that shamir has died, he served from 1983 to '84 and from 1986 to '92. his term was marked by the 1991 gulf war when iraq fired scud missiles into israel. today israeli president perez paid tribute calls shamir a brave warrior. he was 96 yeerdz old. tonight they're gearing up

for the presidential vote in mechanics psycho. it's an election with a lot on the line both for that country's war on drugs and the impact it has along our southern border. we get our report tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: the murders this week of three federal police officers allegedly shot by two fellow officers smuggling cocaine at the mexico city airport have brought the drug war to the forefront days before the mexican presidential election. president caldron's war has costed an estimated 55,000 lives and is defined by the unspeakable barbarity. >> people are upset with the violence and tired of being afraid in their own hoems. >> reporter: all the presidential candidates including the clear front-runner vowed it to reduce the violence, but that could mean easing up on drug cartels to focus more on street crime. >> people are fed up with the war. he's a politician, and he will

feel that it's time to move on and perhaps look at this whole issue in a different way. >> he's from the party known as the pre, t. they ruled mexico sbl accusations of widespread corruption and cronyism. >> there's uneasiness that this may be the same party that made deals with drug traffickers in the past, and they want evidence in the u.s. government as many mexicans do that this is a new and reefr rooemformed party. >> reporter: u.s. officials worry it could lead to more narcotics entering the u.s. here in mexico the retort is that the u.s. needs to do a lot more to reduce its consumption of drugs, along with the flow of guns and money to the cartels. outgoing president calderon's war on drugs is a costly battle. the question now is how firmly has successor will continue the fight. mark potter, nbc news, mexico

city. still ahead as "nightly news" continues, an american student left in a coma mauled in a vicious chimp attack. what went wrong at a world famous sanctuary. later, 10,000 diamonds on display. a jaw-dropping collection fit for a queen. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel.

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sanctuary whose life is in danger after he was attacked by a pair of chimpanzees. michelle franzen has our story. >> reporter: texas grad student andrew obsererly is fighting fo his life. the sanctuary featured on animal planet's "escape to chimp eden" houses chichs rescued from. they say he suffered deep lacerations on his entire body. >> he's in critical condition, remains in a critical condition. he's under observation in intensive care. >> reporter: he was giving a tour thursday who he split from the group, crossing over one of two fences separating the public from the chimpanzees. two male chimps attacked him, grabbing his feet and pulls him under a second fence into the enclosure. they dragged him for half a mile. experts say chimps are far more powerful than humans. >> we're probably one-sixth or

one-seventh the strength of the average chimpanzee, and we really are no opportunity to really defend ourselves very effectively. >> they were scared off the managing director of the sanctuary fired a gun into the air. he told the associated press obob oberly broke the rules by crossing over the fence. they're investigating. he had just returned to the sanctuary in may following up on graduate work he did there in the 2010. that's when he posted these photos on facebook, one with him and another napping near a chimp enclosure. despite his comfort and experience with chimps, experts take the dangers can't be underestimated. >> they can be dangerous, and sometimes they have unpredictable behavior. >> his mom says her son knew the risks and doubts this attack will keep him from his research. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. we're back in a moment with

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disappears behind the hollywood hills, they pour into the streets. >> i schedule my work around thursday nights to come here. >> reporter: it's a fresh food hot spot with a new twist. just when most farmers markets close, this one comes alive offering great produce. >> i had these and they were so fresh. >> there's live music, wine, cool atmosphere. >> reporter: it's not just los angeles. evening farmers markets have sprung up in more than two dozen cities including chicago, where this one is open from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. >> we wanted an evening farmers market to give access to fresh fruits and vegetables to other pe people. >> reporter: produce here is often picked hours before instead of the day before, and for the farmers, the night shift also means more green. >> a little busier than the daytime ones.

>> reporter: they have surged? popularity to more than 7,000 last year. like all farmers markets, though, here it's about connecting local farmers with customers hungry for farm fresh. there's something else that up happens at farmers markets. >> it's a communal activity to come shop, exchange recipes, meet the farmers. >> reporter: marcel runs a nonprofit called grow nyc which overseas 50 markets. his group, too, is now considering nighttime markets. >> it's a natural extension that it's gone into the evenings when people want to meet people and enjoy, you know, a conversation food. >> reporter: fresh food and fun under the stars, a centuries old tradition now being seen in a whole new light. craig melvin, nbc news, new york. >> thinking of hitting a farmers market tonight? you will have an extra second to shop for blueberries. we're gaining one extra leap second tonight. turns out it's taking earth just

a little longer to spin than 100 years ago so the added second keeps clocks from get out of sync with the universe. heavy is the head that wearing the crown, especially when it's diamonds. tany. so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪

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if diamonds are a girlfriend what if the girl say queen? it's all relative with a peek at an exhibit that opened today at buckingham palace as part of queen elizabeth's diamond

jubilee celebration, she's putting her own diamonds, more than 10,000 of them on display. we have the story. >> reporter: a collection of jewelry that's been three centuries in the making but lost none of its sparkle. >> i'd recommend anybody to go. it's fantastic. >> reporter: some pieces never seen before, others familiar from key moments in royal history. then there's the tiara that we see every day and the one on stamps, the diamond, worn to parliament each year. it was made for a man, king george iv, known for his extravagan extravagance. more mass lien is this world given to king edward vii. it has over 700 diamonds weighing more than 3,000 carrots.

>> other items may be simple but have a story to tell. this krcrown is the first item that belonged to convene victoria. despite being small it's made of more than 1,000 diamonds. that was considered modest and plain, just what queen victoria wanted as she mourned the loss of her husband. there's nothing modest about th these jewels made from the largest stone. every item is priceless. >> some of the most exceptional diamonds in the world, and, of course, they will remain in royal ownership. we can't put a price on them. >> reporter: in total 10,000 diamonds are on display. >> they were really beautiful, and they were just amazing. >> reporter: enough to make any girl want to be queen for a day. nbc news, london. >> modest and plain. that is "nbc nightly news" for this saturday night. i'm kate snow reporting from

new york for lester holt and everyone here at nbc news, thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com